Jie Xu

Jie Xu received her bachelor's degree in materials science from Shanghai Jiao Tong University and her doctorate in geoscience from University of Wisconsin-Madison. Building on a multidisciplinary background (nanoscience, aquatic chemistry, geochemistry, and microbiology), Jie has developed a unique perspective on how things are connected from the manmade world to natural systems and vice versa. Her research group is named “NanoGeoBio”, representing a variety of scenarios under which living organisms and inorganic nanophases can encounter, mingle, and result in finely controlled processes (e.g., electron transport pathways driven by photochemistry) and exotic nanoscale products (e.g., nanoprecipitates capable of catalyzing hydrogen evolution reactions). Examining these processes and products not only provides new information for understanding complex ancient and modern geochemical cycles, but also leads to innovative ideas for building our own sustainable future. Jie envisions to recruit a team with diverse backgrounds, ranging among microbiology, nanoscience, geochemistry, inorganic chemistry, biochemistry and biophysics at ASU. She is a 2021 DOE Early Career awardee and has been serving as an associate editor for American Mineralogist since 2017.